Letter to the Editor
November 2020.
Dear Editor,
The Spanish flu killed an estimated 60 million globally in the years 1918/19. At a time when the world population was under 2 billion. At the time of writing the death toll was 1.3million out of a population of 7.5billion from Covid 19. (World Health Organisation.) Both viruses are invisible. It goes to show what progress has been made in science in 100 years.
Thankfully for the mass communication, and access to hygiene products we are able to vastly reduce the effect on us humans. There is no doubt that here in the western world our economy is significantly affected. While a large number of our population will feel the effect financially and many will go into poverty. While others a smaller percentage will become richer and even become billionaires.
For us in Ireland as an Island, we should and could keep the virus out of Ireland by significant testing at airports and seaports. Be strict with the quarantine rules as people come into Ireland both north and south. I know it’s not easy but if we are to defeat this, we have to implement these harsh rules.
Yes, lockdown is very hard and lonely for the most part. The numbers it has affected have not dropped below 20 day yet. We have a long way to go and each one of us need to do our very best to keep this virus at bay. Despite the good news that Pfizer has trialled a suitable vaccine but it will be 12 months or more before it is ready for mass injection.
Yours,
Dermot Hayes, Ennis.